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Orphan X
This is a crazy fast paced thriller! The story grabbed me from the very start and I could not put the book down!
Evan Smoak is taken out of a bad life in Baltimore at the young age of 12 and he is taken to DC where he is trained in a secret Government program to be an assassin. He is mentored by a man named Jack, who becomes a father figure to him. When this program is disbanded, Evan moves to California where he chooses to use these skills and the financial resources he is given to do good. Evan follows a series of commandments that he has learned from Jack to do these missions to help people who have no one else to turn to.
This novel will keep you guessing and make your heart pound! It twists and turns and WOW is it great!
Very Highly Recommended for thriller/spy/action lovers!
Evan Smoak is taken out of a bad life in Baltimore at the young age of 12 and he is taken to DC where he is trained in a secret Government program to be an assassin. He is mentored by a man named Jack, who becomes a father figure to him. When this program is disbanded, Evan moves to California where he chooses to use these skills and the financial resources he is given to do good. Evan follows a series of commandments that he has learned from Jack to do these missions to help people who have no one else to turn to.
This novel will keep you guessing and make your heart pound! It twists and turns and WOW is it great!
Very Highly Recommended for thriller/spy/action lovers!
tapestry100 (306 KP) rated Ghosts in Books
Aug 2, 2017
A cute and somewhat touching story about the bonds between sisters, told with the backdrop of Dia de los Muertos. Catrina and her family has moved to the northern coast of California so that her sister Maya, who has cystic fibrosis, has a better time breathing with the cool salty air off the ocean. Catrina does not like having to have moved away from her friends, but has done so begrudgingly for her sister. When she and Maya discover that there are ghosts in their new town, they are taught about some of the history of Dia de los Muertos and also learn a little about respecting those that have passed. I sometimes think that the explanations around Dia de los Muertos seemed maybe a little too simplistic, but that may just be me. If nothing else, it has made me want to learn a little more about the history and traditions surrounding the day.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found in Books
May 10, 2018
After losing her mother, ending her marriage and changing her name,Cheryl Strayed decided she was going to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. The idea came to her after seeing a guidebook in the checkout line. She had planned on reading the book prior to her hike, but that didn't work out so well. She started reading the night before she started hiking. She did it alone and it took her 3-4 months to do it.
Well, I know that I could never take on a task like that. At least not in the way she did it. Backpacking 1100 miles from California to the Oregon/Washington border. Sleeping outside, meeting strangers, crossing paths with rattlesnakes, watching black bears walk by. But she went into the wilderness totally unprepared. Her shoes were too small, her pack was too heavy and financially(who needs money when they're backpacking?)
All of these and more obstacles she overcame in order to accomplish the task at hand. Hiking the PCT.
Well, I know that I could never take on a task like that. At least not in the way she did it. Backpacking 1100 miles from California to the Oregon/Washington border. Sleeping outside, meeting strangers, crossing paths with rattlesnakes, watching black bears walk by. But she went into the wilderness totally unprepared. Her shoes were too small, her pack was too heavy and financially(who needs money when they're backpacking?)
All of these and more obstacles she overcame in order to accomplish the task at hand. Hiking the PCT.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated Uncorking a Lie (A Sommelier Mystery #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Katie Stillwell is thrilled to be asked to join a dinner party where wine collector Paul Rafferty is planning to share a rare bottle he’s recently purchased with his friends. However, Katie doesn’t think the bottle looks or tastes like an old bottle of wine should. Before the evening is over, someone is dead. When Paul asks Katie to look into what happened, she finds people covering up secrets. Can she find the truth?
Despite growing up in this book’s setting of Sonoma County, California, I’m not a wine guy. That wasn’t a factor for me at all in following this plot based very heavily on wines. Everything I needed to know was expertly explained. The plot was fast with lots of twists and clues to keep me engaged. The book also has strong characters, both returning and new.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/05/book-review-uncorking-lie-by-nadine.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Despite growing up in this book’s setting of Sonoma County, California, I’m not a wine guy. That wasn’t a factor for me at all in following this plot based very heavily on wines. Everything I needed to know was expertly explained. The plot was fast with lots of twists and clues to keep me engaged. The book also has strong characters, both returning and new.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/05/book-review-uncorking-lie-by-nadine.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Dana (24 KP) rated Howl and Other Poems in Books
Mar 23, 2018
I don't overly enjoy poetry for the most part, but I have to say, I really enjoy Allen Ginsberg's writing.
I had previously read "Howl" and "A Supermarket in California" which I very much enjoyed. The other poems, being new to me, I thoroughly enjoyed.
Ginsberg has a very interesting writing style that is very vivid. I love how he speaks directly to his fellow poets in some of his poems. In writing them in, he is giving them an even greater form of immortality.
I enjoyed the poem "America." It's asking the citizens of America what the war is worth, but America is also asking things of him that he wouldn't be able to live up to. He questions his own writing in this as well.
Ginsberg has a very musical beat to his poems that makes you have to keep reading. It pulls you along, especially when you read it out loud.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this little book of poems.
I had previously read "Howl" and "A Supermarket in California" which I very much enjoyed. The other poems, being new to me, I thoroughly enjoyed.
Ginsberg has a very interesting writing style that is very vivid. I love how he speaks directly to his fellow poets in some of his poems. In writing them in, he is giving them an even greater form of immortality.
I enjoyed the poem "America." It's asking the citizens of America what the war is worth, but America is also asking things of him that he wouldn't be able to live up to. He questions his own writing in this as well.
Ginsberg has a very musical beat to his poems that makes you have to keep reading. It pulls you along, especially when you read it out loud.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this little book of poems.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated The Syndrome (Kingdom Keepers, #7.5) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
When Amanda can’t reach any of the Kingdom Keepers for a few days, she travels from California to Florida to try to find them – only when she arrives, she discovers it is worse than she feared. Meanwhile, Jess is having visions again that show Amanda might be in danger. What is going on?
How could this DisNerd not love this series, and the transition book to a new story is filled once again with twists, danger, and lots of fun. The scenes in the parks are exceptionally well done as always, plus I felt that we really got to know Amanda and Jess in this book. The first person narration does alternate between several people, and it works well, although at times I feel like it needlessly repeats scenes. My biggest complaint is sloppy editing, however.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/08/book-review-syndrome-by-ridley-pearson.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
How could this DisNerd not love this series, and the transition book to a new story is filled once again with twists, danger, and lots of fun. The scenes in the parks are exceptionally well done as always, plus I felt that we really got to know Amanda and Jess in this book. The first person narration does alternate between several people, and it works well, although at times I feel like it needlessly repeats scenes. My biggest complaint is sloppy editing, however.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/08/book-review-syndrome-by-ridley-pearson.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated Paint the Town Dead in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Rory Anderson is thrilled about the decorative painting convention coming to Vista Beach, California, her hometown. She’s looking forward to the classes and helping her mom, one of the vendors for the event. However, she is shocked when her friend collapses and dies just as the week is getting under way. The police think it was a tragic accident, but Rory is sure it was murder. Can she prove it?
I love the beach, so the beach town setting is perfect for me. The characters are good, although I did feel they could have been just a little stronger. However, the plot was plenty strong with things progressing at a steady pace all the way to the climax. I was sure I had it completely figured out multiple times only to change my mind a couple of chapters later.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/11/book-review-paint-town-dead-by-sybil.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I love the beach, so the beach town setting is perfect for me. The characters are good, although I did feel they could have been just a little stronger. However, the plot was plenty strong with things progressing at a steady pace all the way to the climax. I was sure I had it completely figured out multiple times only to change my mind a couple of chapters later.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/11/book-review-paint-town-dead-by-sybil.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found
8.2
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